Lius wustbnhopee



'(No Model.)

F. H. J. W'USTENHUPER.

GAR BUFFER.

No. 452,910. Patnted May 26, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ HEINRICH JULIUS WIISTENHOFER, OF ARNSBERG, GERMANY.

CAR-BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,910, dated May 26,1891.

Application filed February 16, 1891. Serial No. 381,653. (No model.)Patented in France December 15, 1890, No. 197,025, and in GermanyDecember 28,1890,No.7,054.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANZ HEINRICH J U- LIUS Wiis'rENHoFER, a subject ofHis Majesty the Emperor of Germany, and residing at Arn sberg, in theProvince of Vestphalia, Germany, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements for preventing or reducing the damaging effects of tworailway-trains running against or into each other, (for which I haveobtained Letters Patent in Germany, No. 7,054, provisional, final numbernot yet out, dated December 23, 1890, and in France, No. 197,025, datedDecember 15, 1890,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to such improvements in railway-cars which willprevent the dangerous effects caused by two trains which, by accident,are on the same line and run into each other, and it is based on theprinciple of consuming and checking the force of the shock of the twotrains meeting at a greater or less speed by transforming this forceinto useful or at any rate positive work, which has to be done beforethe rolling material can be injured. I use for the purpose iron or steelplates, which are arranged in a sort of a slotting or punching machinein such a manner that they are punched through successively inconsequence of the shock. The framework of the carriage forms the mainmachine-frame, the carriage itself being, so to speak, the workshopwhere the machine-tool is set to work, the buffer-bar, forming thegearing, transmitting the power to the punching-tool. The machine-toolremaining m aterially the same, the manner of transmitting the powerwill have to be accommodated to the carriage to which the apparatus willhave to be fitted. Thus a passenger-carriage of the American system,with end doors, will require a somewhat different arrangement of thegear from the buffer-bar to the punching tool than that of a car of theEuropean system, with separate compartments and side doors for eachcompartment; and a goods or luggage car may require, again, a somewhatdifferent design than a passenger-car of either construction. I attainthe objectdesired by means of the mechanisms illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section ofmy shock-reducer in normal condition. Fig. 2 is ing taken place. Fig. 3is a cross-section along line II of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectionalong line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows the punch and matrix box byitself. Fig. 0 is a detailed sectional view in an enlarged scale showingthe arrangement of the plates, matrices, and the punch in the apparatus.Figs. 7 and 8 are two drawings on a reduced scale, the first one showingthe apparatus in position after a shock has occurred, the other oneshowing it turned out of its normal place.

Similar throughout the several views.

Behind the cross-beam A of the carriageframe, directly behind it, asshown in the figure, or at some distance from it, as may be found mostconvenient according to the construction and system of the carriage, Ifix a guide-block B. Closely fitting to it and centrally to it is placedthe punch and matrix box, forming a sort of a casing, composed of twopieces G and D, which are jointed together by bolts and ears, as shownin Figs. 5 and 8. The back part D is suspended or mounted on a round barE, running across the car and being supported thereon by bracketsunderneath the frame-work A, the eyes or hinges F of the punch-boxallowing it to be turned on the bar E, as is indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 1, and shown by Fig. 7. For this reason the front side of thebox is shaped in form of a circle, having its center in the center ofthe eye F. The part Obeing that piece which contains the punch-tool G,it is only bored to that width, so as to take in the punch and guide itfreely. The piece D, which contains the matrices H and thepunching-plates II, is of course bored wide enough to be able to receivethese pieces. Its bottom is left open only wide enough to allow thecounter matrix L to enter into the box so far as to reach the innerbottom line of the box or the last punching-plate, respectively. The

letters refer to similar parts.

a similar View after a supposed collision havgitudinal frame A of thecarriage.

counter matrix L is fitted into a separate piece M, forming thecounterpart of the ap paratus, and which is firmly fixed to the lon- Thematrices H form rings of hardened steel of a slightly-conical shape, soas to give always a sharp edge at the top side, as best seen from Fig.6. The counterpart M is bored out to the same width as the matrices, inorder to take up the punched-out pieces and also the spiral spring N anda piston O. This has for its object to push back in its normal positionagain the punch G after it has been thrust inward, and cut the plates inconsequence of a collision. The punch therefore can be provided with athin projecting part B, and the plates are then cut out so that thispart B can pass through the plates, as shown by Figs. 1 and 2. Now thepunch G itself is actuated upon and set in motion by action of thebuffer-bar S, either direct or by the use of some intermediatemechanism. The buffer-bar S, which in the buffer-box T bears against thebuffer spring, is prolongated at the back side and projects through thegirder A, and its direct or indirect prolongation S reaches into theguide-block B so far as to meet the face of the punch G when thebuffer-spring has been compressed nearly completely, so that a furtheradvance can only take place by cutting or punching through the plates K,as shown in Fig. 2; and it will now be clearly understood that when twocars run against each other with such a force that the shock willcompress the buffersprings beyond the maximum of ordinary use (suchamaximum compression being provided for the shocks occurring inrailway-stations and when carriages are ranged) this can only be doneafter the plates K have been successively punched througlnwhich ofcourse requires a considerable amount of power, and as there are fourbuffers to each carriage, and each one may be made to act upon a punchand matrix box containing, say, six plates, twentyfour plates have to bepunched through in each carriage before other parts of it can beinjured, and thus the power of the shock will be most likely so muchreduced that no further serious damage can be done, even if the wholeforce were not consumed by the punching work.

In order to be able to set the punch and matrix box conveniently out ofgear for the time when a carriage is not in actual use or is only rangedaboutin a goods-station, for instance-and to prevent unnecessary wearand tear of the punch and the matrices and waste of punching-plates, Imount it under the carriage in such a manner that it can be turned outof reach of the bar S. (See Fig. 8.) In the figures shown this is doneby providing the apparatus at one side with eyes F. These are keyed upona round bar E, running across the bottom of the carriage, so that it canserve for two boxes at opposite sides of the same. To the bar E, whichis carried in suitable brackets fixed against the frame of the carriage,is fixed alever U, with a sort of a latch and handleVfixed to it,similar to the starting-lever and reversing-gear of locomotives. Theprolongation of the eye F forms a small bracket serving as fulcrum for alever WV, connected to the latch V at its outer end, and with this leveris connected, by being put on the same pin with it, a lever X, whichtakes hold of a bolt Y. The belt Y can he made to enter into a recess Zin the block B, thus locking the apparatus fast in its normal positionor undoing it when withdrawn from the piece'B by the action of the latchand handle V. A reserve latch Z may be arranged at the top side of thepunch-box, which falls into the recess at the bottom of the piece B andprevents the box 0 D falling farther down, when this is not desired, butkeeps it in the position shownin dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 7.

Recapitulating shortly the main points of my invention and the manner ofits working, it is this: When two trains run against each other, thebuffer-springs are first compressed. As usually, the buffer-bars arepressed back into the buffer-box. In my case these bars project beyondthe cross-beam to which the buffer-boxes are fixed, and theirprojection, either direct or by the intervention of some suitableintermediate mechanism, as may be required by the system of carriage towhich the apparatus is to applied, can be brought in contact with apunching apparatus of peculiar design, when, in consequence of the greatforce exerted by the shock, the buffersprings are further compressed,and now the buffer-bar or its connecting-piece presses upon the punch,and this punches through in succession several steel or ironplates-fixed alternately between matrices in a specially-arrangedmachine-tool, the punch and matrix box secured in suitable manner to thecarriage-frame behind each bufier. The force of the shock therefore,which otherwise destroys the material of the carriage, is now consumedby the punching work, and as it is done gradually and successively, soto say, by summing up by degrees the work to be overcome by all thebuffers of the whole train, the damaging effects of the shock will beavoided.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and in whatmanner the same is to be performed, What Iclaim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In railway-cars, the arrangement of the punch and matrix box 0 Dbehind the bufiers, containing a punching-tool G, punching-plates K, andmatrices H.

2. The combination of the box 0 D, containing the tool G, plates K, andmatrices H, with the counterpart M, holding the counter matrix L,andwith or without the spring N and piston O.

3. The box 0 D on hinges or eyes F and a bar E for putting it out of itsnormal position and securing it therein by means of a lever U, latch V,levers W and X, and a bolt Y, in combination with a bolt Z and a 5 blockB.

4:. In combination with the counterpart M, holding the counter matrix L,and with the box 0 D, containing the matrices H, the

plates K, and the punch G, the prolongated buffer-bar S S forcing thepunch G either IO direct or by the intervention of any suitableintermediate mechanism into the box C D.

FRANZ HEINRICH JULIUS WUSTENHUFER.

Witnesses:

ALVESTO S. HoeUE, J EAN GRUND.

